Genesis 49:18 — Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Before dying, Jacob gathers his sons and prophesies about the future of each one. In the middle of the blessings and warnings, the patriarch interrupts his speech with a short and intense prayer. The verse says: I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD. Jacob knew that salvation would not come from his own strength but from God. That trusting wait appears precisely in the context of hard words about some of his sons. Jacob placed the hope of the whole family in God's hands. The salvation he awaited pointed to the Redeemer who would come. At the end of his life, the patriarch confirms his faith: hope is in God. Today we are invited to make Jacob's prayer our own: I wait for your salvation, Lord. When we see no way out, we trust in the God who saves.